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New Zealand will face South Africa in the first semi-final match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, 3rd March. South Africa is currently unbeaten in the tournament, and they will be eyeing their second consecutive final appearance, while New Zealand will be hoping to deliver their best this time and avenge their last defeat. 

 

New Zealand

 

New Zealand's luck was in Pakistan's hands, but somehow the Kiwis managed to seal a spot in the semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup tournament. They will be arriving in this game after losing to England by 4 wickets in a thrilling match. While batting first, New Zealand managed to score 159 runs in their 20 overs. All-rounder Glenn Phillips was their top scorer with 39 runs from 28 balls. Tim Seifert also played a knock of 35 from 25 balls. While New Zealand bowlers were spot on with their strategies, they were quite visible in their struggle. In reply, England chased the target in 19.3 overs. Rachin Ravindra was the most effective bowler, taking three wickets for 19 runs in four overs. The Kiwis will now face the Proteas in the first semi-final match of the tournament. They will look to avenge their group stage defeat and also be eyeing a spot in the finals of the tournament. 

 

South Africa

 

The only team in this edition of the T20 World Cup is South Africa. They topped their group stage with three out of three wins, and they continued their same winning momentum and thrashed India, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe in the Super Eight and topped the Super Eight table as well. While bowling first against Zimbabwe in the last match, South Africa were brilliant with their bowling, restricting Zimbabwe to 153 runs in 20 overs. Kwena Maphaka, who was playing the first match in the tournament, was the standout bowler, taking two wickets for just 21 runs in his four overs. Corbin Bosch also grabbed two wickets. In reply, South Africa chased it down in just 17.5 overs. Dewald Brevis was their standout batter, smashing 42 off just 18 balls. Ryan Rickelton also added a valuable 31 from 22 balls. With a victory against the Kiwis, South Africa will be aiming to make their second consecutive final appearance in back-to-back editions of the T20 World Cup.

 

NZ vs SA Match Details

 

NZ vs SA T20I WC Match Details
Match	New Zealand vs South Africa Semi-final Match
Date and Time	Wednesday, March 4; 7:00 p.m. IST
Venue	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Broadcasting and live streaming	TV-Star Sports Network, Live Stream-JioHotstar

 

NZ vs SA T20 WC Pitch Report

 

The surface at Eden Gardens is expected to be a batting-friendly surface, like what happened in the last match. The surface also offers help to the pacers who can extract good movement during the early hours of the game, only if they keep delivering on the ideal bowling length. The conditions are expected to be perfect with true bounce and carries on offer, which will allow the batsman to play their shots without inhibitions. Spinners might also get some assistance as the innings progress. The first innings expected score is likely to be around 180-190.

 

NZ vs SA T20 WC Weather Report

 

The weather in Kolkata is expected to remain humid and pleasant, with no rain predicted during the game. As this is an evening game, the surroundings are expected to be a little chilly with good weather. The temperatures are likely to hover around 21-25 °C, under mostly clear skies.

 

NZ vs SA Head-to-Head Records

 

NZ vs SA head-to-head (in T20Is)
Match Played	19
Won by New Zealand	7
Won by South Africa	12
Tied	0
No Result	0

 

NZ vs SA Probable XI

 

• New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

 

• South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde/Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

 

Players To Watch Out For in the NZ vs SA Semi-final Match

 

• Rachin Ravindra | NZ: Rachin Ravindra is one of the most highly underrated players in the team, who is capable of winning any match on his day with his all-rounder performance. He has been phenomenal with his bowling spell lately, taking 7 wickets in the last two matches on a spinner-friendly surface. Overall, he has 115 runs in 5 games and has 9 wickets. Considering the Colombo surface, he can deliver with the ball as well.

 

• Tim Seifert | NZ: Tim Seifert has maintained excellent performance throughout the tournament by scoring 216 runs in six matches with an average of 43.20 and a strike rate of 157.66. His powerful attack against pacers in the power play provides great momentum to the team. After two quick failures, he bounced back and smashed 35 off 25 in the last match against England. He will be a player to watch out for.

 

• Aiden Markram | SA: The South African skipper will be arriving in this game in phenomenal form. He is taking the top-order batting in a different mode, smashing some quick runs, and giving the team the early momentum. In seven matches, he has scored 268 runs at an impressive average of 53.60 and a phenomenal strike rate of 175.16. He smashed an unbeaten 82 runs off just 46 balls to seal a comfortable victory against the WI. He will yet again be their player to be on the watchlist. 

 

• David Miller | SA: This 36-year-old batter is one of the highly experienced players in the squad. He is providing the much-needed stability to the low-order batting in a different mode, anchoring and giving the team a much-needed stability. He has scored 168 runs in 5 matches at a mind-blowing average of 84, and a phenomenal strike rate of 158.49. He will yet again be their player to be on the watchlist.

 

NZ vs SA Toss Prediction

 

Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue

 

• In the last 6 T20Is played at this venue, the team winning the toss has opted to bowl first in five matches, while batting in one.

 

Advantages of Bowling First on This Pitch

 

• In the last 16 T20I matches played at this venue so far, the teams that batted first have won 9 matches, and bowling first have won 7 matches. However, the recent trend suggests that batting second on this surface will be an ideal choice.

 

NZ vs SA Today's Match Scenario

 

Scenario 1

 

• Toss Winner: NZ (opts to bowl first)
• Power-Play Score: 45-48
• SA Total: 170-190
• Match Winner: New Zealand

 

Scenario 2

 

• Toss Winner: SA (opts to bowl first)
• Power-Play Score: 48-55
• NZ Total: 160-180
• Match Winner: South Africa

 

Who will win today's NZ vs SA T20 World Cup match?

 

Looking at the recent form of both teams in the ongoing T20 World Cup, South Africa is looking much stronger than the Kiwis. They are expected to win this match. Their batting lineup has been consistently piling up good runs, while bowlers are taking regular wickets, which is a good sign for them. On the other hand, New Zealand's performance in the Super Eight was not convincing, which might have affected their morale.